Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin says health concerns and logistic issues mean it is not suitable to hold elections during the flood or monsoon season, adding that it is not usual to hold elections during this period.
“During the monsoon, a great deal of human resources is required. Personnel need to be mobilised to evacuate flood victims as well as manage the evacuation centres. Many schools will be used as evacuation centres, so it will be difficult if an election is held during the flood season as schools are also used as polling centres,” he told a special media briefing on Wednesday.
Malaysia’s annual monsoon season typically starts around late November and will last until February and eight of the 11 states in peninsular Malaysia were hit by floods around Dec last year causing a massive backlash against the government of PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
